🍁 100% Canadian owned
Franchise opportunities
A Palapa franchise in your city
Floating tiki bars, sunshine and a brand people line up for. If your town has water, a marina and people who like to have fun, let’s talk.
12
guests per boat
90
minute cruises
5
cities and counting
2
feet of draft. It floats where other boats can’t
Canada Proud. Canada Strong.
100% Canadian owned
Palapa Tours is owned and run by Canadians, from head office in Ottawa.
Canada Made
Our vessels are made in Canada.
No U.S. conglomerate
We’re not part of a large American conglomerate looking to come to Canada.
Why Palapa
Everything but the sunscreen
🏝️
A brand guests know
Seen on Dragons’ Den and sailing in Ottawa, Toronto and Victoria, with Montréal and Huatulco on the way.
⛵
Boats built for it
Hand-built, commercial-grade tiki boats from palapa.boats, with a bar on board and room for 12.
📘
A playbook, not a guess
The Palapa Franchise Operations Manual covers launch, crew training, safety and day-to-day operations.
📅
Bookings from day one
Your own city site on palapa.tours in English, French and Spanish, with online booking, gift cards and reviews built in.
Build your fleet
From one boat to a whole fleet
Every Palapa carries up to 12 guests with a captain and a first mate. Pick a fleet size to see how it plays out.
Franchise fee and investment
What it takes
Franchise fee
$40,000
Royalty
8%
Your investment
Your investment will depend on your location, the number and specifications of your boats, docking arrangements and local operating requirements.
Contact us to explore one-boat and multi-boat franchise options. Detailed investment estimates, fees and terms will be provided in the applicable Franchise Disclosure Document.
Available territories
Where could you Palapa?
191 departure areas across Canada, in three tiers. Small towns count: we look at the whole waterfront audience (cottages, resorts, campgrounds and visitors), not just the population. Tap a pin to see the market.
Primary
Flagship city waterfronts and big boating destinations, from Port Dover to Tofino. Room for a fleet.
Secondary
Regional ports, marina hubs and established lake destinations, like Gananoque, Cobourg or Bobcaygeon. Room for 1–3 boats.
Tertiary
Cottage, resort and local-lake markets where a focused one-boat operation shines, like Orillia, Muskoka or Stoco Lake.
What a market needs
- ⚓ Water access with a marina or public dock
- 📏 At least 2 feet of water. That’s all the draft a Palapa needs
- ❄️ Winter boat storage nearby
- 🌞 Visitors, cottagers or locals looking for something fun to do on the water
🇺🇸
USA
A hybrid business model is on the way.
Coming Soon
🌎
International, including Mexico
Contact us and let’s talk.
Research areas, not reserved territories. Exact territories are set with each franchisee.
Not listed? Drop us a line and we can chat.
How it works
From first chat to first cruise
1
Drop us a line
Tell us your town and the water you have in mind.
2
Discovery call
We talk through your market, your marina and the fleet size that fits.
3
Disclosure and agreement
You get the franchise disclosure document and time to review it with your advisors before signing.
4
Build and train
Your boats are built while your crew learns the Palapa way.
5
Launch day
Your city site goes live, bookings open and the first Mai Tai gets poured.
Drop us a line
Let’s chat about your city
Or email info@palapa.tours · 877-848-8294
This page is not an offer to sell a franchise. A franchise is offered only through a franchise disclosure document, as provincial franchise laws require.